The Simple Facts About Mass Shootings Aren't Simple at All
The first step in stopping future mass shootings is figuring out what we know and working from there. Unfortunately, the real first step is getting rid of a bunch of stuff we "know" that turns out to be wrong.
As an Experiment, Let's Put More Scientists in Congress
A new-ish political action committee wants to see professionals from science, technology, math, and engineering stop carping from the political sidelines and start running for elected office.
What a Cute Ball of Fur Can Teach Us About Climate Change
It's an unpalatable truth, but since we're already late in attacking climate change we better learn how to adapt.
Mafias, Migrants, and a New Kind of Graft
Italy's fumbled effort to dilute bad apples by placing them in barrels of good ones failed spectacularly, but it offers lessons about migrants and organized crime for today.
Absence: A Users Guide for Bosses and Employees -
Tis the season to be gone from work. A leading researcher on going AWOL offers his observations about global customs, mild deviance, an improving job scene, and showing up at the office to spread viruses along with the holiday cheer.
The Math Equation That Explains David and Goliath
From babies' tantrums to labor strikes to guerrilla wars to global terrorism, there may be one simple math equation, a power law, that benchmarks them all. Better yet, it may allow us to predict these confrontations' future.
Lorde Knows Why Poor People Play the Lottery
On the eve of a monster MegaMillions draw, here's another explanation of why those who can least afford it play the lottery: It helps them blow off steam.
Don't We Want to Reveal the Good News About Workplace Safety?
Rather than keeping information of workplace injuries under wraps, Americans should be happy to learn we're seeing fewer of them.
Do Traffic Tickets Tamp Down Bad Driving or Merely Log It?
A study of Israeli drivers finds that being in a serious accident suggests you've probably gotten a ticket in recent years.
Want Blue Energy? Then Trade Risk for Information
There are a lot of unknowns about the ecological effects of ocean-based renewable energy. A screwy permitting process, a new analysis argues, makes answering those questions that much harder.
Did Don Ho Have a Solution to Global Warming?
Talk about global warming quickly turns to the question of carbon in the atmosphere. But the more fundamental observation about how much sunshine the planet bounces back into space should probably precede any mention of greenhouse gases.
Will the Sun Set on the Union Jack?
Surely what happens to the Union Jack is one of the more minor concerns that would follow Scottish independence—except that it's not.
The Soggy Saga of a Tax on Groundwater
An effort to cut income taxes and improve water quality in The Netherlands foundered by doing lots of things not too well.
Seeking a Citizens United Victory for Chimpanzees
A series of lawsuits attempting to establish legal personhood for chimpanzees has been unleashed in New York. While its backers cite precedents like slavery and gay rights in their pleadings, perhaps an example from the boardroom is in order.
One in Every 10 People Killed in Syria's War Is a Child
Once again we're reminded that it's not just those who choose to put themselves in harm's way who die during a war.
The Imperial Tradition Dies Hard in Potemkin's, Umm, Putin's Russia
When entertaining dignitaries, cover-ups are always in vogue.
Grading Cash for Clunkers: Give It an E for Effort
Now that Uncle Sam is no longer a back-seat driver for the auto business, this is a good time to pull over and remember one of his signal acts while in the car.
A Hot Time in the Old Archaeological Dig Tonight
Ancient people of Mesoamerica apparently liked a hot drink in the morning, too. A spicy hot drink, that is.
Not Ready for Prime Time: Making Fuel Out of Invasive Plants
When it comes to making ethanol, taking a hard, second look at seemingly great ideas is smart policy.
Restoring Peace to Africa by Restoring Endangered Fauna
Restoring Africa's peace could be helped by restoring its fabled—and endangered—fauna.
Another Data Point That Picks Away at Obamacare
More evidence from Dr. Brian Elbel shows that menu labeling isn't really working.
We're Buying Fewer Cars, Driving Fewer Miles—and Buying Less Gas
Evidence keeps mounting that Americans' love affair with the car, while hardly over, has entered a new phase.
A Lesson in Democracy From Driving Down the 'Arab Street'
Reconciling democracy and shari'a is certainly do-able, but the results may not enthrall the West.
Being on the Right Side of the Digital Divide Matters
If you drop out of high school, odds are you'll end up in a dead-end job for life. But the odds get a lot better if you happen to have some computer skills.
The Financial Meltdown of the New Orleans Slave Market
As you watch 12 Years a Slave recall that the market in humanity really was a market—with dizzying asset price changes, speculative bubbles, and a fear of volatility greater than a fear of civil war.
Europe Now Looking Over Its Shoulder at Syrian Polio Outbreak
As feared, the possibility of once rare or neglected diseases slopping out of the cauldron that is Syria is becoming more real.
Windmills: 600,000, Bats: 0. Time for a New Game?
A new study estimates that at least 600,000 bats died last year in the Lower 48 from wind turbines.
The STEM Gender Gap That Boggles Even Physicists
A new analysis of the gender gap in physics assessments between male and female students doesn't solve the STEM disparity, but it's a good primer on current thought.
Another Benefit of Immigrant Workers: Shock Absorption
In continuing to address the chicken-and-egg question of jobs and population, it seems that Mexican-born workers are quick to relocate to greener pastures.
AI Will Have to Figure Out Which Triangles Are the 'Trianglest'
Understand that human thinking is fuzzy around the edges, which is totally different from how computers compute.
The Polio Outbreak in Syria Isn’t the Worst of Our Problems
It’s resurgent measles and "Aleppo evil" ... and dengue fever in Houston.
There Are Hundreds of Practicing Exorcists in the U.S.
A recent survey of modern exorcists reveals a surprising lack of drama in the business of casting out demons.
There Are Jobs in Social Science. 'Nuff Said
A new report says that in Britain social science majors find more employment than science and technical grads. While that seems a little too grand, it is good news that sociologists and geographers will find good work.
In the Outback, Sometimes a Wildfire Can Provide a Warm Glow
The role of humans and wildfire is a complex tale of evolution and generally of loss. The experience of Aboriginal communities suggests the outcome doesn't have to be sad.
Unbundling Academia—It's Not Just for Cable Anymore
So-called "open access" academic publishing saves money and has political backing. But is it a good idea?
Being Cruel Can Help You, But Let's Find a Way to Fight It Anyway
The lust to kill is somewhat normal, and cruelty can have some benefits. But the researchers who are exploring those sad discoveries are also working to bust up the vicious circle that offers these insights.
Will More Rules Make You Thin?
Surveying the fat of the land, researchers look for any connection between obesity and rules intended to fight it.
What’s Cool for Old People? A Hybrid
There are lots of factors that determine green buying patterns, but for those in the second half of life a certain level of status is attached to driving a hybrid.
Your Electric Car May Yet Generate a Small Income for You
Vehicle to grid technology has been talked about for a decade and half, and an industry consultant suggests it may finally start paying off.
A Better Stab at Estimating How Many Died in the Iraq War
A new study rising from the ashes of a flawed old one estimates a half million Iraqis died as a result of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation.
Gunning for Lead Bullets: On Efforts to Ban Ammunition
Hunters using lead ammunition leave a potent neurotoxin scattered in the outdoors; alternative ammunition is really good. Why are efforts to ban lead ammunition so difficult?
It'll Cost More Than 5,000 Kroon to Rescue Unchecked Online Comments
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that websites on that continent can be responsible for their commenters' over-the-top statements. Beware, rest of the world.
Live Long and Falter: Spry Population Linked to Endangered Species
If a country's human population is long-lived, it's bad news for the local critters—almost as bad as being a native bird in New Zealand.
The Game of Climate Whac-a-Mole Will Hit the Tropics First
A new paper details when just about anywhere on the world can expect to have inarguable proof that global warming isn't a debate topic but a reality.
Wildfires: Where There's Smoke There's Illness
Trying to get a handle on how best to fight wildfires should include understanding the fires' collateral damage.
Are We Smart Enough for Obamacare?
The Internet is awash with information, good and bad, on medical conditions, but it can be tough to find solid facts on the quality and costs of health options. Will the newly opened health exchanges overcome this latest manifestation of the digital divide?
The Benefits of Wealth Inequality (and Why We Should Now Fear It)
Whether they are creating jobs or cooperation, new research backs up a positive role for the well-off—up to a point.
The Eyes Are Increasingly Dirty Windows Into the Soul
If you're trying to change somebody's mind, it's probably better if you let their eyes wander.
A Rose Would Not Smell as Sweet If You Were Agitated
The circuitry that controls emotions and smell is all tangled up in the brain.
Now We've Found Plastics in Space (and It's Not Pollution)
For the first time ever, molecules of plastic have been found outside of planet Earth.